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Technological Achievement Tiers
Tier 8: Devoid of Technology Tier 8 is rarely if ever applied to sentient creatures, as the most common mark of sentience is the use of tools. The Zerg, however, are an exception to this rule, achieving feats that would otherwise be accomplished by utilizing technology through the use of biological adaptations. Tier 7: Pre-Industrial Tier 7 is one of the most common and stable states, with limited weaponry and environmental threats. Societies tend to be small and scattered, driven by subsistence farming, foraging, or hunter-gathering needs. Technology is limited to simple hand made tools, weapons, or agrarian implements and methods, but a very broad understanding of planetary and solar mechanics is not uncommon. Tier 6: Industrial Age Tier 6 is often the pinnacle for a civilization. Agrarian societies can remain stable in the pre-industrial stage, but Tier 6 population strain and mechanized food production invariably create political and economic pressures very few can balance. Moving past this usually promises advancement. Some societies improve environmental and medical understanding concurrently with mechanical and transport advancement. Those that do not are frequently doomed. Humanity entered this age near the end of the 18th century, with the advent of steam technology. Tier 5: Atomic Age Tier 5 species usually begin focusing on clean energy production. The occasional belligerent species will use atomic energy for weapons, often resulting in mass extinctions. In-atmosphere craft are a hallmark, often leading to manned space flight, albeit in a short-scale. Humanity entered this age in 1945, when the atomic bombs were first dropped. Tier 4: Space Age Tier 4 is often the final resting place for species intelligent enough to break free from their cradle's surface only to fill the gulf surrounding it with war. Their comfort-focused technology can include medical advances. Humanity reached this level in 1957, when the first satellite was launched. Tier 3: Space-Faring Species has efficient Slipspace navigation, mass drivers, asynchronous linear-induction weapons, holocrystal storage and semi-sentient AI (though their creation requires memory transfer from the freshly deceased and/or flash cloning). They have had no outside influence. 26th Century Humanity stands at this level. Tier 2: Interstellar The species has the ability to perform exceedingly accurate Slipspace navigation, near-instantaneous communication and man-portable application of energy manipulation. Humanity stands at this tier of knowledge with near-full understanding from the studying of reverse engineered Xel'Naga and Protoss technologies, continued research in the field, as well as research in the laboratory. The Protoss stand at this tier of technological achievement. Tier 1: World Builders The species has the ability to manipulate gravitational forces, create AI with full sentience, fabricate super-dense materials, perform super-accurate Slipspace navigation, create life, and create worlds. The Xel'Naga and Inusannon are the only known civilizations to reach this level. Tier 0: Transsentient As the Xel'Naga had no examples of civilizations with technological accomplishments greater than themselves, this is a theoretical ceiling. It is suspected that such beings can perform even greater feats than traveling across galaxies and accelerating the evolution of intelligent life. The Xel'Naga are also the only known civilization to reach this level